1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication systems and, more particularly, to the management of upstream (i.e., client to server) communication channel utilization levels within an asymmetric communications system such as a cable television system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Asymmetric communications systems such as cable television system, satellite television systems, and the like are characterized by very high bandwidth downstream communication channels, for communicating from a server, head-end or other upstream node to one or more client devices such as set-top boxes (STBs), and relatively low bandwidth upstream communication channels.
The deployment of new applications such as interactive television (iTV) applications on cable television (CATV) networks increases the amount of upstream traffic. Additionally, the increased upstream traffic tends to be “bursty” rather than constant or predictable. Thus, where multiple client devices such as set top boxes are contending for upstream bandwidth in an increased and unpredictable manner, sufficient upstream bandwidth may at times be unavailable.